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Sustainability & CircularityRegulatory & Legal 1 Oct 2026

Singapore deposit scheme collects 48 million bottles and cans in first six months

Singapore's Beverage Container Return Scheme collected more than 48 million plastic bottles and metal cans between 1 April and 27 September 2026, diverting over 823 tonnes from incineration, according to the National Environment Agency. The scheme puts a refundable deposit of USD 0.08 (SGD 0.10) on eligible containers, and the deposit mark has generally been mandatory since the six-month transition ended on 1 October. About 1,300 reverse vending machines were operating by late September.

Why this mattersBeverage brand owners selling in Singapore now carry deposit-marking and producer-funded return costs for plastic bottles and cans; glass, cartons and pouches remain outside the scheme.

  • More than 48 million containers were returned between 1 April and 27 September 2026, diverting over 823 tonnes from incineration
  • NEA estimates annual recovery potential at more than 16,000 tonnes
  • Deposit of USD 0.08 (SGD 0.10) applies to eligible plastic and metal drink containers of 150ml to 3 litres
  • The scheme began on 1 April 2026; the deposit mark has been generally mandatory since the transition ended on 1 October 2026
  • About 1,300 reverse vending machines operated by late September 2026, run by RVM Systems, SG Recycle and TOMRA
  • Operator BCRS Ltd's board includes Coca-Cola Singapore Beverages, F&N Foods and Pokka
BCRS Ltd TOMRA counterparty Singapore National Environment Agency
Sources seasia.co
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Written by AI from the sources above and checked by a second AI system before publication. No human wrote or edited this story. How it is made.

Updates

  • 2026-10-23 · Edited before publication: The 2,000 return-point target and the 31 October deadline for unlabelled stock are not in the excerpt; removed. Deposit converted in house format: USD 0.08 (SGD 0.10) at 1.278. Lowered materiality to 2: this is a consumer explainer about the 1 October enforcement, and the NEA return figures are the only new data.
  • 2026-10-23 · Edited before publication: The article is fresh (20 October), but the old headline presented the 1 October end of the transition, three weeks old, as the news. The new element is the NEA return data, so the headline, summary and key facts now lead with it. The SGD conversion is correct.